God blessed us with a joy-filled trip to Costa Rica. We learned that Costa Ricans affectionately refer to themselves as “Ticos!” (See pictures below of some of our new Tico friends and their beautiful country!) We were honored to be able to get extensive time with local leaders and to be invited to do some teaching at a couple of churches. I (Laurie) enjoyed joining a gathering of women. We worshipped together and were challenged to live responsively to the Word of God that we heard read. In partnership with my skilled and godly translator, I shared a lesson from the Biblical story of Joseph. One evening Chris and I both had the opportunity to share some thoughts and Scriptures related to prayer at an evening church prayer meeting. Another evening, Chris taught a message at a local church.
In between the teaching times, we enjoyed meals and outings with pastors and church leaders from the area. They graciously took us to some stunningly beautiful places! We learned much from the local leaders. There are many thriving churches and ministries in the cities and suburbs, but many church leaders, especially in remote areas, have had no opportunities for Biblical and theological training. We heard about indigenous people groups who are eager for training opportunities and connected with local pastors and leaders who long to help bring training and resources to those places. We continue to talk with local leaders about the needs they see and the best next steps for bringing training to remote areas of the country. We are praying with them about how Apollos Training International might offer training and support to help these indigenous pastors and church leaders. We want to help pastors in remote areas get opportunities to learn about the Bible and how to implement its teaching in their ministries. Please pray with us!
